I asked about brewer's rice. He told me that brewer's rice is simply broken rice that isn't used for human consumption strictly for aesthetic reasons.

AAFCO definition of Brewer's rice:

Quote:

The dried extracted residue of rice resulting from the manufacture of wort (liquid portion of malted grain) or beer and may contain pulverized dried spent hops in an amount not to exceed 3 percent.

The use of it in pet food has nothing to do with its lack of "aesthetics" and everything to do with how cheap it is. It has considerably less nutritional value than regular rice. This is a direct quote from a supplier of Brewer's rice:

Quote:

Second Heads and Brewers Rice
Second heads and brewers rice are one of the many byproducts that rice milling tends to create. Second heads are milled rice kernels that are one half to three quarters of the original kernel. Brewers rice is a milled rice kernel that is one quarter to half the size of a full kernel. Second heads, depending on their quality are used to make rice flour. If the quality of the second heads are poor, they will be sold for pet food or dairy feed. Brewers rice are sold for pet food and dairy feed exclusively.

Not that carnivores need rice to begin with.

And I have an even bigger problem with their line of cat litters. Their use of toxic (to cats) essential oils in a product that cats walk on multiple times a day is completely negligent! http://www.thelavendercat.com/3201/index.html

Dogs and horses tolerate oils better than other animals. Cats are a totally different story. Cat's livers do not have the necessary enzymes to break down and excrete certain chemical compounds in essential oils. The chemical compounds, therefore, accumulate in a cat's body and are sometimes toxic to the point of death.

Cats are very sensitive to many chemicals. It is best to avoid any oil containing phenols: oregano, thyme, cinnamon (cassia), clove, savory, birch, and melaleuca (Tea Tree oil) or ketones: sage. Another group to avoid are the citrus and pine oils: lemon, orange, tangerine, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, pine, spruce, and any fir oil. Many household cleaners and even pet products have these latter substances in them to make them smell nice to the owners. Symptoms of a toxic buildup include being despondent, clumsy, uncoordinated, partially paralyzed, vomiting, drooling or in a daze. The diagnosis for toxic poisoning is a blood test that shows elevated liver enzymes.